


Palmers Kiss

by gilesbabe



Category: Farscape
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2013-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-01 22:44:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1049438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gilesbabe/pseuds/gilesbabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Filler between Family Ties and Mind the Baby</p>
            </blockquote>





	Palmers Kiss

Palmers' Kiss

Aeryn set the Prowler down with more speed than skill. Time was of the essence; she could no longer hear John breathing through the com system. Popping open the canopy, she jumped down. There was a small cargo area on the Prowler with a hatch that could be opened from inside the ship. She had used this to scoop John and D'Argo out of space. 

D'Argo's body tumbled out first. No breath, no pulse. His prolonged exposure to the cold of space had even changed the color of his skin. This was a phenomenon that she had heard of but had never seen herself. With no medical supplies there was nothing she could do for him. He would recover, or not, on his own. She moved over to John. 

Removing his helmet, Aeryn checked for vital signs. No breath, no pulse. Once again she thanked her gods that John had taught her his world's primitive resuscitation technique. She sat astride his chest and began CPR. Fifteen compressions, then a breath. Again and again. She paid no attention to the passage of time other than to grow more concerned with each microt that he didn't respond. Counting became automatic as she chanted, "Come on, John. Breathe, John. Don't you dare leave me alone here, Crichton!"

Sweat began to run down her face. Her arms were growing tired. NO! She wouldn't give up on him. Tears mixed with the sweat. "Please, John, breathe. Come back to me." Grimly, she continued. Another fifteen compressions, another breath.

The lips under hers moved. Aeryn drew back, looking down at John's face. His eyes were open, but unfocused. He was gasping for air. Belatedly, she realized that he might be able to breathe easier if she wasn't sitting on his chest. She knelt beside him, cradling his face in her hands.

"Breathe slowly, John. Relax. You're safe now."

John's lips moved, but no sound came out. He tried again. "D'Argo?" he wheezed. 

"He's here as well, and before you ask, he appears to be dead." John eyes showed his distress and he tried again to speak, but Aeryn interrupted. "You remember how he was the other time he was in space. He could recover at any microt, all we can do is wait."

John nodded dejectedly. After a few more moments, his breathing seemed to be easing at bit. "Moya get away? What about the baby?" He tried to sit up, but didn't have the strength.

"John, please lie still, you need to rest. What you said to her worked, Moya starburst away in time." Aeryn drew a deep breath and looked away from him. "Crais took Talyn deeper into the asteroid field. The command carrier is still searching for him and for us." 

John watched the play of emotions on her face. "Sorry, Aeryn. I should have made sure the bastard was locked up before we left. I know how much you care for Talyn." She continued to look away from him, and as he watched, a tear flowed down her cheek. "Aeryn, don't cry, babe. We'll find him, I promise."

Aeryn almost blurted out her secret. It hurt so much to keep this from John, like a weight crushing her chest. She knew he would never approve of what she had done, but there had been no choice. She had been frantically looking for a place to land while calling to John on the com system and receiving no answer.

Then Crais had signaled. He had offered her the location of an asteroid with a breathable atmosphere in exchange for help controlling Talyn. John's life for Talyn. No choice. She would have made any sacrifice necessary to save him. Even if it meant that he hated her when he found out. Another tear slid down her face, joining the first.

John watched her in concern. Something was wrong, he could feel it. It wasn't like Aeryn to breakdown like this. Breakdown? Two tears? For most people no, but for Aeryn this was a breakdown. He couldn't help but feel that there was more going on here than Crais taking off with Talyn. He sat up behind her, removed the suit gloves, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Aeryn, what's wrong?" She shook her head, but said nothing.

John twisted around, crossing his legs yoga style. He unzipped the suit. Pulling his arms free from the sleeves, he pushed it down around his waist. Aeryn looked so lost, so alone, he wanted to give her comfort. Give her the reassurance of body to body contact. He placed both arms around Aeryn, pulling her onto his lap. Cradling her close, he began rocking back and forth, running one hand soothingly up and down her back.

After a few microts, Aeryn spoke. "I couldn't get to you sooner. I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to revive you." She fell silent again, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. His arms tightened protectively. Almost shyly she circled one arm around his waist, while reaching with her other hand to clasp one of his.

What, she thought, is so special about the touch of this man's hand? Palms together, fingers entwined, she was sure she could feel life flowing between them. Exciting, arousing, and strangely enough, comforting. As if their hands were meant to be together, two halves of a whole. 

John, looking at their joined hands, flashed back to a memory from school. He chuckled.

Aeryn raised her head and looked at him in astonishment. "What can you possibly find amusing about our circumstances?"

"I was just remembering something that happened when I was kid. The first girl I ever had a crush on." At the look of puzzlement that crossed Aeryn's face he said, "A crush means an infatuation. The word is usually used to describe when you think you are in love.

"I was fourteen, hormones just coming to life. A new family moved into our neighborhood with a daughter who was thirteen. Her name was Anne. The first time I saw her, I thought she was THE one. My future wife. We spent all our free time together, but always around other people. We were much too young to date. That semester at school, we read Romeo and Juliet. We instantly identified ourselves with them." John smiled, lost in the memory.

Aeryn, now intrigued, gave him a little shake. "Who are Romeo and Juliet?" 

"They are characters in a play. And before you ask, a play is entertainment. In this case, Romeo and Juliet is a morality story, about the futility of hate. It was written by a man named William Shakespeare around 300 cycles ago."

"I don't understand, did your parents hate each other?"

"No, the reason we identified with the characters was that Romeo was fourteen and Juliet was thirteen. They met and fell in love. In their case, their parents did hate each other, and there was no way the two could be together. They ended up killing themselves."

Aeryn looked horrified. "Did you try to kill yourself too? How can that be amusing?"

John shook his head ruefully. "I know that I'm not explaining this well. As I said, we identified with them because we were the same age. In the emotional rush of our infatuation, we felt that our not being allowed to date was just as tragic as what happened to them. We read the story over and over together. Of course, our parents thought we were doing schoolwork.

"I still remember when I got the idea for our secret sign of commitment to each other. Early in the play, actually the first time Romeo and Juliet meet, they have a discussion about touching hands, palm to palm. About how touching like that can be the same as a kiss."

Aeryn blushed and instantly disengaged her hand from his. 

John smiled lovingly at her and held his hand up palm out. "Aeryn?" he questioned gently.

Aeryn looked back at him for a long moment, then slowly placed her hand against his.

Instead of lacing their fingers together again, John caressed her hand with his fingers and quoted, "If I profane with my unworthy hand this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this. My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." He drew her hand up to his mouth and pressed a kiss into the palm. "That was what Romeo said."

"What did Juliet say?" Aeryn asked huskily.

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this: For saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss." John placed his hand back against hers and they linked their fingers together again.

"What happened to you and Anne?"

"Her dad was in the military, they moved in the middle of the school year. My heart was broken for all of three months - monthens -" he corrected automatically, "until another family moved into the area with another daughter." Aeryn gave him an exasperated look. He shrugged. "What can I say, I'm a guy."

They sat for a few microts in companionable silence. Then Aeryn asked, "Which of one US is the pilgrim and which is the saint?" 

John pulled her close again, nestling her head back on his shoulder. "Well, I'm not a saint. No saint would be feeln' what I am right now."

Aeryn chuckled. "I'm no saint either, so I guess that means we're both pilgrims. By the way, what's a pilgrim?"

John paused for a moment, then said in a serious voice "A pilgrim is a person who is searching for answers, for help and guidance, for meaning in their life."

Aeryn sat quietly, thinking of all the things that faced them. Would D'Argo survive? Did this asteroid have enough food and water for them to live? Would they ever find Moya again? And of course, the big one, could she protect Talyn from Crais? She tightened her hold on John's hand. "We're definitely both pilgrims."

They continued to sit, gaining strength from each other, preparing to face what lay ahead.

The end.

**Author's Note:**

> Authors Note: The scene with John and Aeryn in 'Mind the Baby' where they link hands seemed to have some kind of meaning for the two of them, but there was no explanation in the show. When I was watching it again the other evening (I tape the episodes, of course)I was reminded of the scene where Romeo and Juliet first met in the Franco Zefarelli movie version of the play.


End file.
